Relocation to Mallorca

Relocating to a new country can be the start of an exciting chapter in your life. When the move goes well it’s easy to become enamoured with Mallorca, but if you are poorly prepared you could soon be left feeling out-on-a limb and longing to return.

Some people might think a move to the Balearics is a no big deal, but having recently relocated here myself, I know that there are moments when Mallorca feels as distant as Maseru. At times you wish that a fairy godmother would fly down and hand you a well-worn black book, filled with tried and trusted contacts and useful advice – all in easy-to-communicate Spanish of course!

There are many reasons people chose to relocate. Traditionally, it has been for work or retirement, with Mallorca a magnet for those who want to spend their seasoned years in the sun. But these days, an increasing number of people are relocating for lifestyle reasons and Mallorca is attracting more and more young families who might ask questions about schooling, drug problems and crime, rather than the distance to the nearest golf course.

Homework.The first step in the relocation process is deciding to take the plunge. As a new home and the cost of setting up again entail substantial investment, it goes without saying that a little “home work” is paramount. Veterans will tell you not to base your decision on one great holiday, but explore different areas and visit at different times of the year. Talk to people who have made the move, and if you plan to work, make sure there is a demand for your skills or services. When you have found your ideal property, don’t be too shy to ask the seller 101 questions either. “Where are the local re-cycling points, what day is the local market, where do you get your gas refilled, can you recommend a garden service, pool cleaning company, laundromat, etc.” Ask them to leave emergency numbers for gas, telephone, electricity and water and maybe even introduce yourself to your neighbours (well, as they say in the Australian TV soap, “everybody needs good neighbours!”).

• Finding the right agent

There are no shortage of respected estate agents in Mallorca, and you will probably get to know some of them pretty well as they drive from home to home. Hopefully, you will find an agent who is a source of local knowledge and won’t mind sharing it with you.

If you are considering relocating but time is paramount and you find frequent property-hunting trips too time-consuming, you might want to consider the services of a relocation agent.

Jan and Andy Pratt started their company ¨Shortcuts Mallorca ¨”two-and-a-half years ago, after they experienced their own frustrations trying to buy and relocate to the island.

“Most of our clients are busy UK professionals, who prefer to hire service-orientated companies to save them time.

A lot of our clients want a second home in Mallorca because it is so accessible from the UK, but don’t know too much about the island. They do their viewings over their hard-earned holiday and don’t want to be wasting time seeing anything that isn’t suitable.”

“We charge a £500 registration fee which is refunded when they have made a purchase. For this we work to their specific brief and manage the whole viewing and purchase process – because we work with all the agencies and builders, we can be very objective and have no need to push one property over another.”

Andy says the most common concerns of relocating clients tend to be about legal issues, building and access rights of neighbours, losing views or green belt land. “For this reason I always advice my clients to use local Mallorcan or Spanish lawyers who speak good English.”

• Rent or buy?

If you don’t find somewhere you want to buy, don’t rush into something unsuitable but consider the renting option. It’s also a good option for people who can’t decide on country finca or modern apartment – why not try them both and see what suits! Jacqui Nash of Nash Homes confirms that the rental market is buoyant.

“There are many reasons our clients chose the rental option. Some want to “try before they buy”, others want a lifestyle change and want to sample the Mallorcan lifestyle, others have bought a business and aren’t ready to put their money into a home.

We’ve also seen quite a lot of foreign clients who rent on a long-term basis because they want a more permanent second home on the island that they can visit on a whim. Whatever the reasons, there are plenty of rental properties available – it’s just a case of matching the person with the property.”

A typical 3-bedroom apartment around Bendinat or Portals Nous would cost about €1500. Apartments may be rented furnished or unfurnished and, typically, two month’s deposit is required upfront. Leases tend to run for 11 months, renewable. In the winter months it is possible to do shorter 3-6 month lets.

Bin and Ash Shah of ¨Imprentapronto¨ relocated to the island with their three children and decided to rent first;

a decision they feel was a wise one.

“We found renting a home a good option as at first we wanted to focus all our energy on our business, and we were not sure if we wanted to buy land and build a property of our own, or buy an existing property. Renting also gave us the chance to discover the pros and cons of the area we wanted to live in,” explains Ash.

“We really liked Capdella on our first visit but worried how we would adapt to such a small village after our busy London lifestyle.

Now having seen what a lovely community spirit there is, we are looking to buy and because we know so much about the village, we feel sure that we would know immediately if a house was right for us or not.”

The Shahs made the move and bought a business on the island based on their own research and admit there have been a few lows and a lot to learn a long the way. “We’re happy with our decision to relocate, but let’s say we are a lot wiser now. Moving to a place like Capdella where everyone has been so friendly has helped tremendously and we are working hard on our Spanish which is obviously very important.”

• Using the Internet

For people wanting to relocate, the Internet is a wonderful tool, not just as a source of information on everything from culture to cookery schools, but also as a means of finding a property. It’s also great for control-freaks who like to double-check and research things themselves.

The only problem is that there is such a mass of information, and so much of interest to read, you’ll stay glued to the computer for hours! An obvious starting place is the abc-mallorca.com website as it has a useful property and information search site as well as links with hundreds of sale and rental agents.

John and Lynn Pearce found their dream home in Santa Ponça on the Internet and had an offer accepted within a couple of weeks. They moved to Mallorca with daughters Lucy, 16, and Sarah, 14, in September 2004 and rented for two months whilst the building work was being completed. “One of the nicest surprises of the relocation has been the exceptionally high standard of the Mallorquin builders.” admits Lynn.

“All in all the relocation been remarkably easy. The estate agent helped us with all the horrible bits of the purchase like electricity and phone connections, as well as the legal bits although we did do checks from the UK. Having said that, renovating the house has been extremely hard work despite the fact that we’ve had the luxury of being around to oversee the project.” try them both and see what suits!

Jacqui Nash of Nash Homes confirms that the rental market is buoyant.

“There are many reasons our clients chose the rental option. Some want to “try before they buy”, others want a lifestyle change and want to sample the Mallorcan lifestyle, others have bought a business and aren’t ready to put their money into a home.

We’ve also seen quite a lot of foreign clients who rent on a long-term basis because they want a more permanent second home on the island that they can visit on a whim. Whatever the reasons, there are plenty of rental properties available – it’s just a case of matching the person with the property.”

A typical 3-bedroom apartment around Bendinat or Portals Nous would cost about €1500. Apartments may be rented furnished or unfurnished and, typically, two month’s deposit is required upfront. Leases tend to run for 11 months, renewable. In the winter months it is possible to do shorter 3-6 month lets.

Bin and Ash Shah of Palma- printing company ¨Imprentapronto¨ relocated to the island with their three children in 2003 and decided to rent first; a decision they feel was a wise one.

“We found renting a home a good option as at first we wanted to focus all our energy on our business, and we were not sure if we wanted to buy land and build a property of our own, or buy an existing property. Renting also gave us the chance to discover the pros and cons of the area we wanted to live in,” explains Ash.

“We really liked Capdella on our first visit but worried how we would adapt to such a small village after our busy London lifestyle.

Now having seen what a lovely community spirit there is, we are looking to buy and because we know so much about the village, we feel sure that we would know immediately if a house was right for us or not.”

The Shahs made the move and bought a business on the island based on their own research and admit there have been a few lows and a lot to learn a long the way. “We’re happy with our decision to relocate, but let’s say we are a lot wiser now. Moving to a place like Capdella where everyone has been so friendly has helped tremendously and we are working hard on our Spanish which is obviously very important.”

Unternehmensgruppe/

Business Group

Susanne Cerdá

Carrer San Miquel, 36-5º

07002 Palma de Mallorca

Tel. 971 727229

Fax. 971 72 13 04

www.cerda-consult.com

info@cerda-consult.com

Gestorias or how to turn the necessary administrative paperwork after relocating into a piece of cake

You have found your new home in Mallorca, have overcome the relocation, all boxes are empty and finally you’re back to day-to-day life and with it come the duties towards the authorities.

The car needs a Spanish registration, you need a NIE number, tax declarations need to be prepared etc. For those who are new to the island the way to the different civil services can quickly turn into an obstacle course, especially as the language itself often presents the first hurdle.

All these obligations can be taken over by a Gestoría in Spain.

A Gestoría is a facility from old times, when not many Spanish people could read or write. It is able to represent the citizen in front of authorities and settles all official matters for him.

The Business Group Susanne Cerdá for example is very well accustomed to international clientel and has been taking care of the interests of the international residents since 1987.

They offer civil services handling, tax consultancy, bookkeeping and personnel accounting.

The native Austrian, Susanne Cerdá, is supported by an experienced team of Spanish solicitors, tax consultants, accountants, and financial and insurance advisors. Due to their translation service, each step will remain completely transparent at any time for both German and British clients.

“Through our experiences and the advice we give, our clients develop a feeling of what is possible in Spain; they learn to accept disadvantages and to enjoy the advantages free from stress. Mallorca should just remain beautiful for everyone.” are the words Susanne Cerdá uses to describe her company philosophy.

The offices of the Business Group Susanne Cerdá are located in Paguera, Palma and Llucmajor.